One person is dead and three upstate New York police officers have been injured after law enforcement responded to a domestic violence situation in Rochester, officials said early Saturday morning. The man who called the police to the scene was also injured.
Officers were called to an address in the 600 block of Chili Avenue around 10:15 p.m. Friday, Rochester Police Department Chief David Smith said in a news briefing on Saturday. The caller told police his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend was trying to break into her house. The caller said the ex-boyfriend might have a gun, Smith said, and also identified himself as a legal pistol permit holder who had his firearm on him.
When officers arrived on the scene, they "quickly located the ex-boyfriend" along the side of the home, Smith said. He "immediately pulled out a handgun" and began firing on officers and the caller, Smith said.
The ex-boyfriend, whom Smith also called a suspect, fired multiple shots that hit two officers at close range. The caller and the suspect then exchanged fire. The caller was shot multiple times. The suspect fled the scene, Smith said, but was found within minutes at a nearby intersection by another officer.
The officer ordered the suspect to stop, Smith said. The suspect responded by shooting the officer. That officer and other policemen "returned fire and struck the suspect multiple times, killing him," Smith said.
Smith said one of the officers shot at the home sustained multiple gunshots to the upper body and was rushed into surgery at Rochester's Strong Memorial Hospital. The officer is listed as in critical condition and stable, Smith said.
The other officer injured at the home was wearing a ballistic vest and sustained non-life-threatening injuries after being shot multiple times in the upper body. He is listed as being in stable condition, Smith said.
The officer at the intersection was shot in the upper body and suffered serious injuries. He is currently listed in stable condition, Smith said.
The caller was shot multiple times and is also listed as being in serious but non-life-threatening condition, Smith said.
The other two officers and the caller were also treated at Strong Memorial Hospital, Smith said. Smith said all three officers received "life-saving treatment."
Police did not release the names of any of the parties involved. Smith said each of the officers had fewer than 10 years on the force.
"Every day, the brave men and women of the Rochester Police Department risk their lives to make our city a safer place. You know, saying you're going to go out and risk your life is an easy thing to do," Smith said. "Actually going out and risking your life like our officers did last night is a completely different level of dedication."
Law enforcement is continuing to actively investigate the incident, Smith said, and the Monroe County District Attorney's Office, the New York State Attorney General's Office and the Professional Standard Section are all conducting their own investigations.
Smith said more information about the shooting, including body-worn camera footage, will be released "when the investigation allows."
